CN108390824B

CN108390824B - Ad-hoc network path construction system and node

Info

Publication number: CN108390824B
Application number: CN201810014049.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 渡边雄大
Original assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc
Current assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2017-01-17
Filing date: 2018-01-08
Publication date: 2021-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-08
Also published as: EP3349401A1; EP3349401B1; US10305779B2; CN108390824A; JP6665793B2; JP2018117205A; US20180205633A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ad hoc network path construction system and a node. The node receives a request packet containing a data portion describing a medium access control address and location information of the central node from the central node, determines whether or not there is a request destination node to be a destination of the request packet, if the request transmission destination node is judged to be present, the medium access control address and the position information of the node itself are described in the data part of the received request packet and the described request packet is transmitted to the request transmission destination node, if the destination node is judged not to be requested to send, the node is judged to be the terminal node, a response packet containing the data part is generated, the data section describes all the mac addresses and all the location information described in the data section of the received request packet, and the node transmits a response packet to the request transmission source node, which is the transmission source of the received request packet.

Description

Ad-hoc network path construction system and node

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an ad hoc network path construction system having 1 central node and a plurality of nodes (next hop nodes), the nodes (next hop nodes), and the central node.

Background

An ad hoc network path construction system having 1 central node and a plurality of next hop nodes is known.

In an ad hoc network routing system, a packet for routing search is flooded (flooding) a plurality of times. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the load on the network.

Disclosure of Invention

[ means for solving problems ]

An ad hoc network path construction system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: 1 central node; and a plurality of next hop nodes; the central node generates a request packet containing a data portion in which a Media Access Control (MAC) address and location information of the central node are described, and transmits the request packet to 1 or more next-hop nodes located in an area where communication with the central node is possible; each of the next hop nodes receives the request packet, determines whether or not there is a request transmission destination node that is a transmission destination of the request packet, additionally describes MAC address and location information of the next hop node itself in the data part of the received request packet if it is determined that there is the request transmission destination node, and transmits the described request packet to the request transmission destination node, and determines that the next hop node itself is a terminal node if it is determined that there is no request transmission destination node; the terminal node generating a response packet including a data section in which all the MAC addresses and all the location information described in the data section of the received request packet are described, and transmitting the response packet to a request transmission source node that is a transmission source of the received request packet; each of the next hop nodes except the terminal node further receives the response packet from the request transmission destination node and transmits the received response packet to the request transmission source node; the central node further receives the response packets from 1 or more of the request transmission destination nodes, and creates a routing table (routing table) based on all the MAC addresses and all the location information described in the data part of the received 1 or more of the response packets.

A node (next hop node) according to an embodiment of the present invention is each node included in an ad hoc network path construction system having 1 central node and a plurality of nodes, and includes a packet control unit configured to: receiving a request packet including a data portion from the central node, the data portion describing a MAC address and location information of the central node; determining whether or not there is a request transmission destination node serving as a transmission destination of the request packet; if the request transmission destination node is judged, additionally describing the MAC address and the position information of the node in the data part of the received request packet and transmitting the described request packet to the request transmission destination node; if the node is judged to be a terminal node, judging that the node is a terminal node; if the terminal node is determined to be the terminal node, generating a response packet including a data portion in which all the MAC addresses and all the location information described in the data portion of the received request packet are described; sending the response packet to a request sending source node which is a sending source of the received request packet; and if the terminal node is not determined to be the terminal node, receiving the response packet from the request sending destination node, and sending the received response packet to the request sending source node.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode embodiments of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus.

Fig. 2 shows a functional configuration of an ad hoc network path construction system.

Fig. 3 shows the flow of the operation of the central node.

Fig. 4 shows an operation flow of the next hop node.

Fig. 5 shows the operation sequence of the center node and the next hop node.

Fig. 6 shows the SFRREQ packet.

Fig. 7 shows the header of an existing RREQ packet.

Fig. 8 schematically shows a request transmission area and a non-request transmission area.

Fig. 9 shows the SFRREP packet.

Fig. 10 shows the header of an existing RREP packet.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1. Outline of Ad hoc network Path construction System

An ad hoc network is a network that does not rely on an infrastructure comprising private base stations. Specifically, the ad hoc network includes a plurality of nodes, and the plurality of nodes are connected to each other by using the relay function of the terminal apparatus (node) itself of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

Typically, in order to newly construct a path of an ad hoc network, a specific (arbitrary) 1 node among a plurality of terminal apparatuses (nodes) is set as a central node. The center node floods a request packet for path search to a plurality of nodes (next hop nodes) located in an area capable of communicating with the center node.

The node that receives the request packet additionally describes the terminal information of the node itself in the buffer in the received request packet. The node floods the described request packet to a plurality of nodes (next hop nodes) located in a communication-capable area. This flooding procedure is repeated several times at each jump.

And under the condition that the node receiving the request packet does not have the next hop node, judging that the node is the terminal node. The terminal node generates a response packet in which terminal information (terminal information of all of the plurality of nodes through which the request packet is transmitted) stored in the buffer of the request packet is described. The end node sends the reply packet to the central node via a plurality of next hop nodes (the same as the nodes via which the request packet was sent).

The center node calculates a route between nodes based on the terminal information of each node described in the received response packet, and creates a routing table (route table). The central node floods the created routing table and supplies the same to all nodes. Each node constructs a path (route) based on the routing table.

As described above, typically, in order to newly construct a path of an ad hoc network, a process of flooding a request packet is repeated several times, and thus a load on the network is high. In view of the above, according to the present embodiment, the load on the network is reduced in the ad hoc network path constructing system.

2. Hardware configuration of information processing apparatus

Fig. 1 shows a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus.

The node is an information processing device having a relay function of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark), and is typically an indoor installation-type (non-moving) terminal device. Examples of the information processing apparatus include desktop type (desktop type) personal computers, image forming apparatuses such as MFPs (multi function peripherals), facsimile machines, television receivers, and home appliances.

The information processing apparatus 10 as a node includes: a control unit (11); a display unit 12 connected to the control unit 11 via a bus 17; a network interface 13; an operation section 15; a storage unit 16; and a position information acquisition device 14.

The control Unit 11 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the like. A cpu (central Processing unit) of the control unit 11 loads a program recorded in a ROM (Read Only Memory) as an example of a non-transitory storage medium that can be Read by a computer into a RAM (Random Access Memory) and executes the program.

The storage unit 16 includes a large-capacity storage device such as a rom (read Only memory), a RAM (RAM), and a Hard Disk Drive (HDD). The ROM fixedly stores programs, data, and the like executed by the control unit 11. The RAM is loaded with programs stored in the ROM.

The Display unit 12 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electroluminescence) Display, and the like. The display unit 12 performs arithmetic processing based on the information received from the control unit 11, and displays the generated image signal on the screen. The display unit 12 may be an externally mounted display device.

The operation unit 15 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, various switches, and the like. The operation unit 15 detects an operation from the user and outputs the operation to the control unit 11.

The network interface 13 is an interface for communicating with other information processing apparatuses 10 (nodes) via Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The positional information acquisition means 14 acquires the current positional information of the information processing apparatus 10 itself. For example, the position information acquisition device 14 measures the position of the information processing device 10 using triangulation based on the period in which radio waves of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) transmitted from a plurality of wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access points reach the information processing device 10. Alternatively, the position information acquiring device 14 measures the position of the information processing device 10 based on the period in which the radio wave of the Bluetooth (registered trademark) transmitter (beacon) reaches the information processing device 10. The position information acquiring device 14 may measure the position of the information processing device 10 by using a GPS (Global Positioning System).

3. Functional configuration of ad hoc network path construction system

In the following description, the information processing apparatus 10 as the center node is referred to as a "center node 10C". For the sake of convenience and distinction from the central node, the plurality of nodes 10 other than the central node 10C among the plurality of nodes included in the ad hoc network are sometimes referred to as "next hop nodes 10N". That is, the ad hoc network path constructing system 1 includes 1 central node 10C and a plurality of next hop nodes 10N.

The center node 10C can be arbitrarily decided by a user (administrator). A terminal device (not shown) such as a personal computer receives an operation from a user and issues a request via Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) to cause any of the information processing devices 10 to function as a central node.

The CPU of the central node 10C functions as a packet control unit 101C and a constructed path management unit 102C by loading and executing an information processing program stored in the ROM, which is an example of a non-transitory storage medium readable by a computer, into the RAM.

The CPU of the next hop node 10N loads and executes an information processing program stored in the ROM, which is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, into the RAM, thereby functioning as the packet control unit 101N and the constructed path management unit 102N.

The packet control section 101C of the center node 10C generates an SFRREQ packet including a data section in which the MAC address and the location information of the center node 10C are described. The packet control unit 101C transmits (floods) the SFRREQ packet to 1 or more next hop nodes 10N located in an area where communication with the center node 10C is possible.

The packet control unit 101N of the next hop node 10N receives the SFRREQ packet, and determines whether or not there is a next hop node 10N (transmission request destination node) that is the transmission destination of the SFRREQ packet. If the packet control unit 101N determines that there is a request for a destination node, it additionally describes the MAC address and location information of the next hop node 10N itself in the data unit of the received SFRREQ packet and transmits the described SFRREQ packet to the next hop node 10N (request for a destination node). The packet control unit 101N determines that the next hop node 10N itself is a terminal node if it determines that there is no request transmission destination node. If the node is determined to be the terminal node, the next hop node 10N generates an SFRREP packet including a data section in which all MAC addresses and all location information described in the data section of the received SFRREQ packet are described, and transmits the SFRREP packet to the request transmission source node which is the transmission source of the received SFRREQ packet. The next hop node 10N other than the terminal node receives the SFRREP packet from the request transmission destination node and transmits the received SFRREP packet to the request transmission source node.

The packet control section 101C of the center node 10C receives the SFRREP packet from 1 or more next hop nodes 10N.

The constructed path management unit 102C of the central node 10C creates a routing table based on all MAC addresses and all location information described in the data unit of the received 1 or more SFRREP packets. The constructed path management unit 102C supplies the created routing table to the next hop node 10N.

The constructed path management unit 102N of the next hop node 10N acquires the routing table created by the central node 10C.

4. Action flow of central node and next hop node

Fig. 3 shows the flow of the operation of the central node. Fig. 4 shows an operation flow of the next hop node. Fig. 5 shows the operation sequence of the center node and the next hop node.

The control unit 11C of the center node 10C transmits a HELLO packet to all next hop nodes 10N that can communicate via the network interface 13C (step S101). Hereinafter, the next hop node 10N to which the central node 10C has transmitted the HELLO packet is referred to as "first next hop node 10N 1" for convenience.

The control unit 11N of each first next hop node 10N1 receives a HELLO packet from the central node 10C via the network interface 13N. The control section 11N of the first next hop node 10N1 that has received the HELLO packet transmits the HELLO packet to the center node 10C via the network interface 13N.

The control unit 11C of the central node 10C receives HELLO packets from the plurality of first next hop nodes 10N1 via the network interface 13C (yes at step S102).

If the HELLO packet is received, the packet control section 101C of the center node 10C generates an SFRREQ packet as a request packet. The packet control unit 101C of the central node 10C transmits the generated SFRREQ packet in unicast to the plurality of first next hop nodes 10N1 (transmission request destination nodes) which are the transmission sources of all the received HELLO packets via the network interface 13C (step S103). After transmitting the SFRREQ packet, the center node 10C enters a reception waiting state of an SFRREP packet (described later).

Here, the "SFRREQ packet" will be explained. The "SFRREQ packet" is a packet unique to this embodiment, which is obtained by modifying an existing RREQ (Route Request) packet used in an AODV (Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector) protocol, and means a "Smart Flooding Route Request" packet. The "SFRREQ packet" stores information necessary for constructing a path of the ad hoc network.

Fig. 6 shows the SFRREQ packet. Fig. 7 shows the header of an existing RREQ packet.

In the header of the SFRREQ packet (SFRREQ header) (fig. 6) according to the present embodiment, the change point from the header of the existing RREQ packet (RREQ header) (fig. 7) is as follows. That is, the SFRREQ header of the present embodiment describes the "transmission source MAC address" instead of the "transmission destination IP address" and the "transmission source IP address" of the existing RREQ header. The "transmission source MAC address" is the MAC address of the node that is the transmission source of the SFRREQ packet. In step S103, the MAC address of the center node 10C is described as the "transmission source MAC address".

The data portion of the SFRREQ packet includes an RREQ ID, a MAC address buffer, and a location information buffer. The "RREQ ID" is an ID (identifier) to inherently identify the SFRREQ packet. The "MAC address buffer" stores (additionally describes at each hop) the MAC address of the node of the transmission source of the SFRREQ packet. In step S103, the MAC address of the central node 10C is described. The "location information buffer" stores (additionally describes, at each hop), location information (information acquired by the location information acquisition device 14) of a node of the source of the SFRREQ packet. In step S103, the positional information of the center node 10C acquired by the positional information acquiring device 14C is described.

Go back to the description of the flow of actions. The packet control section 101N of each first next hop node 10N1 (request transmission destination node) that has transmitted the HELLO packet to the center node 10C receives the SFRREQ packet from the center node 10C via the network interface 13N (yes at step S201). If the SFRREQ packet is received, the packet control section 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 determines whether or not the SFRREQ packet has been transmitted so far (step S202). The packet control section 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 determines that the SFRREQ packet has not been transmitted so far (no in step S202). In this case, the control unit 11N of the first next hop node 10N1 transmits a HELLO packet to all the next hop nodes 10N that can communicate via the network interface 13N. Hereinafter, the next hop node 10N of the transmission destination to which the first next hop node 10N1 has transmitted the HELLO packet is referred to as "second next hop node 10N 2" for convenience. At this time, the control unit 11N of the first next hop node 10N1 requests a response HELLO packet in which the location information of the second next hop node 10N2 as the response source is additionally described as a response HELLO packet to the HELLO packet (step S203). Hereinafter, the "reply HELLO packet" refers to a HELLO packet in which the location information of the node that is the source of the reply is additionally described.

On the other hand, if the packet control unit 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 determines that the SFRREQ packet has been transmitted so far (yes in step S202), in this case, the first next hop node 10N1 ends the processing without transmitting the HELLO packet. In other words, each next hop node 10N sends the SFRREQ packet only once. This reduces the possibility that each next hop node 10N receives an SFRREQ packet from a plurality of next hop nodes 10N, thereby reducing the load on the network.

The packet control unit 101N of each first next hop node 10N1 performs the following processing using the standby time from the transmission of the HELLO packet to the reception of the response HELLO packet. That is, the packet control unit 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 additionally describes the MAC address of the first next hop node 10N1 itself, following the described MAC address of the central node 10C, in the MAC address buffer of the data unit of the SFRREQ packet received (yes at step S201) from the central node 10C. Further, the packet control unit 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 additionally describes the position information of the first next hop node 10N1 itself, following the described position information of the center node 10C, in the position information buffer of the data portion of the sfreq packet. Thereby, the packet control section 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 updates the SFRREQ packet.

The packet control unit 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 calculates the request transmission area and the non-permission request transmission area of the first next hop node 10N1 based on the location information of the center node 10C described in the location information buffer of the data section of the sfreq packet and the location information of the first next hop node 10N 1. In brief, the packet control section 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 sets, as the request transmission destination node, the node 10 whose position is distant from the center node 10C that is the transmission source of the SFRREQ packet, based on the position information of the center node 10C and the position information of the first next hop node 10N 1. Hereinafter, a method of calculating the request transmission area and the non-request transmission area will be described.

The communication-enabled area a1 is located within a distance range (schematically indicated by a circle only in the figure) that is reached by the radio wave of the first next hop node 10N 1. The packet control unit 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 divides the area a1 in which the first next hop node 10N1 itself can communicate into 2 areas a2, A3, by using a straight line L2, where the straight line L2 crosses the position of the first next hop node 10N1 itself, is orthogonal to a line segment L1 connecting the position of the center node 10C, which is the transmission source of the SFRREQ packet, and the position of the first next hop node 10N 1. The packet control unit 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 sets, as the request transmission area a2, an area that does not include the position of the center node 10C that is the transmission source of the SFRREQ packet, from among the 2 areas a2 and A3 obtained by dividing the communication-capable area a1, and sets, as the non-permission request transmission area A3, an area that includes the position of the center node 10C.

Go back to the description of the flow of actions. The controller 11N of each second next hop node 10N2 receives a HELLO packet from the first next hop node 10N1 via the network interface 13N (no in step S201, yes in step S204). The control unit 11N of the second next hop node 10N2 that has received the HELLO packet generates a response HELLO packet in which the position information (information acquired by the position information acquisition device 14N) of the second next hop node 10N2 itself is additionally described in the HELLO packet. The control section 11N of the second next hop node 10N2 transmits the reply HELLO packet to the first next hop node 10N1 via the network interface 13N (step S205).

The controller 11N of the first next hop node 10N1 receives (or has received) the response HELLO packet from each second next hop node 10N2 via the network interface 13N (yes at step S206). The packet control unit 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 reads the position information of the second next hop node 10N2 itself described in each reply HELLO packet. The controller 11N of the first next hop node 10N1 determines at which position of the calculated request transmission area a2 and the request transmission non-permitted area A3 each second next hop node 10N2 is located (step S207).

The controller 11N of the first next hop node 10N1 transmits the updated SFRREQ packet in unicast to all the second next hop nodes 10N2 (request transmission destination nodes) located in the request transmission area a2 (yes in step S207) via the network interface 13N (step S208). The "updated SFRREQ packet" is a SFRREQ packet in which the MAC address and the location information of the first next hop node 10N1 itself are additionally described.

The packet control section 101N of each second next hop node 10N2 (request transmission destination node) receives the SFRREQ packet from the first next hop node 10N1 via the network interface 13N (yes at step S201). If the SFRREQ packet is received, the second next hop node 10N2 itself becomes the request transmission source node, and the processing of steps S202 to S208 is repeated.

In addition, the second next hop node 10N2 updates the SFRREQ packet in the following manner. The packet controller 101N of the second next hop node 10N2 additionally describes the MAC address of the second next hop node 10N2 itself, in the MAC address buffer of the data portion of the sfreq packet received (yes in step S201) from the first next hop node 10N1, after the described MAC address of the central node 10C and the MAC address of the next first next hop node 10N 1. Further, the packet control unit 101N of the second next hop node 10N2 additionally describes the position information of the second next hop node 10N2 itself, following the already described position information of the center node 10C and the position information of the next first next hop node 10N1, in the position information buffer of the data portion of the sfreq packet.

The second next hop node 10N2 calculates the request transmission area and the non-request transmission area as follows. The packet control unit 101N of the second next hop node 10N2 divides the area a1 in which the second next hop node 10N2 itself can communicate into 2 areas a2, A3 by a straight line L2, where the straight line L2 crosses the position of the second next hop node 10N2 itself, and is orthogonal to a line segment L1 connecting the position of the first next hop node 10N1, which is the transmission source of the SFRREQ packet, and the position of the second next hop node 10N 2. The packet control unit 101N of the second next hop node 10N2 sets, as the request transmission area a2, an area that does not include the position of the first next hop node 10N1 that is the transmission source of the SFRREQ packet, from among the 2 areas a2 and A3 obtained by dividing the communication-enabled area a1, and sets, as the non-permission request transmission area A3, an area that includes the position of the first next hop node 10N 1.

On the other hand, although the control unit 11N of the next hop node 10N has transmitted the HELLO packet (step S203), there is a case where no response HELLO packet is received from another next hop node 10N (no at step S206). Alternatively, control unit 11N of next hop node 10N may determine that there is no other next hop node 10N located in request transmission area a2 (no in step S207). In these cases, it means that there is no node that is the transmission destination of the SFRREQ packet. Therefore, control unit 11N of next hop node 10N determines that next hop node 10N is a terminal node. Hereinafter, the next hop node 10N as the terminal node is referred to as "terminal node 10N 3" for convenience.

The packet control section 101N of the terminal node 10N3 generates an SFRREP packet as a response packet (step S209).

Here, the "SFRREP packet" will be described. The "SFRREP packet" is a packet specific to this embodiment obtained by modifying an existing RREP (Route Reply) packet used in the AODV protocol, and means a "Smart Flooding Route Reply" packet ". The "SFRREP packet" stores information required to construct a path of the ad hoc network.

Fig. 9 shows the SFRREP packet. Fig. 10 shows the header of an existing RREP packet.

In the header of the SFRREP packet (SFRREP header) (fig. 9) according to the present embodiment, the change point from the header of the existing RREP packet (RREP header) (fig. 10) is as follows. That is, the SFRREP header of the present embodiment describes the "source MAC address" in place of the "destination IP address", "destination sequence number", and "source IP address" of the existing RREP header. The "transmission source MAC address" is the MAC address of the terminal node 10N3 that is the transmission source of the SFRREP packet.

The data portion of the SFRREP packet is identical to the data portion of the SFRREQ packet acquired by the terminal node 10N 3. That is, the data portion of the SFRREP packet includes the RREQ ID, the MAC address buffer, and the location information buffer. The "RREQ ID" is an ID to inherently identify the SFRREQ packet acquired by the terminal node 10N 3. The MAC address buffer stores the MAC addresses of the nodes from the central node 10C to the terminal node 10N3 in the hopping order. The "location information buffer" stores location information of each node from the central node 10C to the terminal node 10N3 in the order of hopping.

Go back to the description of the flow of actions. The packet control unit 101N of the terminal node 10N3 refers to the MAC addresses stored in the MAC address buffer in the hopping order, and transmits the generated SFRREP packet to the center node 10C by tracing back a plurality of next hop nodes 10N in a new order (hopping order) in the order stored in the MAC address buffer (step S210).

Specifically, the packet control unit 101N of the terminal node 10N3 transmits the SFRREP packet to the next hop node 10N (for example, the second next hop node 10N2) (the request transmission source node) which is the transmission source of the received SFRREQ packet, with respect to the generated SFRREP packet. The packet control section 101N of the second next hop node 10N2 receives the SFRREP packet from the terminal node 10N3 (request transmission destination node), and transmits it to the first next hop node 10N1 (request transmission source node). The packet control section 101N of the first next hop node 10N1 receives the SFRREP packet from the second next hop node 10N2 (request transmission destination node) and transmits it to the center node 10C (request transmission source node).

The packet control section 101C of the center node 10C receives the SFRREP packets from the plurality of first next hop nodes 10N1 (request transmission destination nodes) as transmission destinations of all the SFRREQ packets via the network interface 13C (steps S104, S105). Specifically, the packet control unit 101C of the center node 10C receives the SFRREP packets from the plurality of first next hop nodes 10N1 within a certain time (an arbitrary time length) after the SFRREP packets are first received. The packet control unit 101C of the central node 10C supplies the received SFRREP packet to the configuration path management unit 102C.

The constructed path management unit 102C of the central node 10C queues a plurality of received SFRREP packets in the order of arrival, and sequentially stores information described in each SFRREP packet in the storage unit 16C for each SFRREP packet. Specifically, the constructed path management unit 102C stores all MAC addresses described in the MAC address buffer included in the data unit of each SFRREP packet and all location information described in the location information buffer in the received data storage unit 104C of the storage unit 16C (step S106).

The packet control unit 101C of the center node 10C stops receiving the SFRREP packet at an arbitrary timing (for example, 3 minutes after receiving the first SFRREP packet) if the SFRREP packet is not received any more within a certain time (step S107).

Then, the configuration path management unit 102C of the center node 10C creates a routing table based on the MAC address and the position information stored in the received data storage unit 104C. Specifically, the constructed path managing unit 102C allocates an IP address to each next hop node 10N for each MAC address of each next hop node 10N, and creates a routing table (step S108). The routing table indicates the association of the nodes 10 with each other. The constructed-path managing unit 102C stores the created routing table in the constructed-path storing unit 103C of the storage unit 16C.

The constructed path management unit 102C of the central node 10C transmits a packet including an IP address and a routing table to each next hop node 10N based on the path information of the created routing table (step S109).

The configuration path management unit 102N of each next hop node 10N receives a packet including an IP address and a routing table via the network interface 13N. The constructed path managing unit 102N stores the IP address and the routing table included in the received packet in the received data storage unit 105N of the storage unit 16N. Each next hop node 10N establishes a data link based on the IP address and the routing table, and constructs an ad hoc network.

5. Summary of the invention

Typically, in order to newly construct a path of an ad hoc network, a technique is known in which each node broadcasts and transmits a packet toward a next hop node around without distinction. According to this technique, as the number of nodes increases, the load on the network or the consumption of memory resources increases. Further, if manual input by a person is required to search for a communication path, the labor required for the person increases as the number of nodes increases.

In contrast, according to the present embodiment, all next hop nodes 10N except the center node 10C transmit the SFRREQ packet only once (steps S202 and S203). This can reduce the possibility that each next hop node 10N receives the SFRREQ packet from a plurality of next hop nodes 10N.

Further, according to the present embodiment, all the next hop nodes 10N except the center node 10C transmit the SFRREQ packet only to the next hop node 10N located in a part of the communication-capable area a1 (request transmission area a2) (steps S207, S208). This can further reduce the possibility that each next hop node 10N receives the SFRREQ packet from the plurality of next hop nodes 10N.

Specifically, according to the present embodiment, the next hop node 10N requests, as a response packet to the HELLO packet, a response HELLO packet in which the position information of the other next hop node 10N as the response source is additionally described, from among 1 or more other next hop nodes 10N (step S203). Thus, the next hop node 10N can acquire the location information of the other next hop node 10N before transmitting the SFRREQ packet, and thus can surely narrow the range of the object to transmit the SFRREQ packet.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the central node 10C allocates an IP address to each next hop node 10N, and creates a routing table (step S108). Thus, only the center node 10C has the constructed path storage unit 103C that stores information necessary for constructing a path, and each next hop node 10N does not have it. Therefore, the resources consumed by each next hop node 10N can be reduced. In addition, the amount of packets transmitted and received in the network is suppressed, and the load on the network is reduced.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the load on the network, suppress the consumption of memory resources in each node, and eliminate the need for human work.

While the embodiments and the modifications of the present technology have been described above, the present technology is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be added without departing from the spirit of the present technology.

Claims

1. An ad hoc network path construction system includes:

1 central node representing 1 arbitrary node among the plurality of nodes; and

a plurality of next hop nodes;

the ad hoc network path construction system is characterized in that,

the central node generates a request packet including a data portion in which a medium access control address and geographical location information of the central node are described, and transmits the request packet to 1 or more next hop nodes located in an area where communication with the central node is possible;

each of the next hop nodes receives the request packet, determines whether or not there is a request transmission destination node that is a transmission destination of the request packet, additionally describes a medium access control address and geographical location information of the next hop node itself in the data part of the received request packet if it is determined that there is the request transmission destination node, and transmits the described request packet to the request transmission destination node, and determines that the next hop node itself is a terminal node if it is determined that there is no request transmission destination node;

the terminal node generating a response packet including a data section in which all the mac addresses and all the geographical location information described in the data section of the received request packet are described, and transmitting the response packet to a request transmission source node that is a transmission source of the received request packet;

each of the next hop nodes except the terminal node further receives the response packet from the request transmission destination node and transmits the received response packet to the request transmission source node;

the central node further receives the response packets from 1 or more of the request transmission destination nodes, and creates a routing table based on all the mac addresses and all the geographical location information described in the data part of the received 1 or more of the response packets;

each of the next hop nodes reads geographical location information of the request source node from the data section of the received request packet when determining the presence or absence of the request destination node, and based on the geographical position information of the request transmission source node and the geographical position information of the next hop node, it is judged whether or not there is a request transmission destination node located at a position distant from the request transmission source node, and a step of dividing a region in which the next hop node itself can communicate by a straight line which is orthogonal to a line segment connecting the position of the request transmission source node and the position of the next hop node itself and passes through the position of the next hop node itself, and determining whether or not there is a request transmission destination node which is located in a region not including the position of the request transmission source node among the divided regions in which communication is possible.

2. The ad-hoc network path construction system according to claim 1, wherein each next hop node, when having received the request packet from a plurality of request transmission source nodes, additionally describes a medium access control address and geographical location information of the next hop node itself in the data part of any one of the received request packets and transmits the described request packet to the request transmission destination node.

3. The ad-hoc network path construction system according to claim 2, wherein each next hop node transmits a call packet to 1 or more other next hop nodes located in an area where the next hop node can communicate with itself, when determining whether or not the request transmission destination node is present;

requesting a response packet in which geographical location information of another next hop node as a response source is additionally described as a response packet to the hello packet;

receiving, from the 1 or more other next hop nodes, a response packet in which geographical location information of the other next hop nodes is additionally described;

and determining whether or not the request destination node exists based on geographical location information of the other next hop node additionally described in the received response packet.

4. A node, each node included in an ad hoc network path construction system having 1 central node representing 1 arbitrary node among a plurality of nodes and a plurality of nodes,

the device comprises a packet control part, wherein the packet control part is used for:

receiving a request packet including a data portion from the central node, the data portion describing a media access control address and geographical location information of the central node;

determining whether or not there is a request transmission destination node serving as a transmission destination of the request packet;

if the request sending destination node is judged, additionally describing the media access control address and the geographical position information of the node in the data part of the received request packet and sending the described request packet to the request sending destination node;

if the node is judged to be a terminal node, judging that the node is a terminal node;

if the terminal node is determined to be the terminal node, generating a response packet including a data portion which describes all the MAC addresses and all the geographical location information described in the data portion of the received request packet, and transmitting the response packet to a request transmission source node which is a transmission source of the received request packet;

if the terminal node is not determined, receiving the response packet from the request transmission destination node, and transmitting the received response packet to the request transmission source node;

the packet control unit, when determining the presence or absence of the request transmission destination node, reads geographical location information of the request transmission source node from the data unit of the received request packet, and determines the presence or absence of the request transmission destination node located at a location distant from the request transmission source node based on the geographical location information of the request transmission source node and the geographical location information of the node itself, and in this case, divides an area in which the node itself can communicate by a straight line that is orthogonal to a line segment connecting the location of the request transmission source node and the location of the node itself and passes through the location of the node itself, and determines the presence or absence of the request transmission destination node located in an area that does not include the location of the request transmission source node among the divided areas that can communicate.

5. The node according to claim 4, wherein, when receiving the request packets from a plurality of request transmission source nodes, the packet control section additionally describes a medium access control address and geographical location information of the node itself in the data section of any one of the received request packets and transmits the described request packet to the request transmission destination node.